The University of Mississippi Libraries

The University of Mississippi Libraries
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FAQs

Question:

Why are the print journals filed by call number instead of by their titles?

Answer:

The Library of Congress call number system that the library uses is designed to organize materials together by subject matter. Print journals are included in that system so that journals will sit on the shelves near the books about similar subjects so that patrons may find and become familiar with the major current research in their subject area. Also, journals tend to change titles, and the new titles are often not obvious. If journals were shelved by title, a single publication with continuous numbering could be separated throughout the collection.


Question:

Who decides what journals and databases the library subscribes to?

Answer:

The library subscribes to journals and databases that cover a wide variety of subjects, and no one person could judge what is useful for all of the subscriptions. Just as with book selection, each subject area has a subject specialist that considers the needs of the students and faculty in that area and decides what journals or databases would provide the best support over time. Many databases cover multiple subject areas, and there is a committee of subject specialists that consider and decide about these interdisciplinary databases.


Question:

What are “Continuing Resources”?

Answer:

Continuing Resources are any materials that intend to be published continuously for an unspecified amount of time. These materials include journals and newspapers.


Question:

Where are federal documents located? Can I check them out?

Answer:

Documents published after 1920 are shelved in open stacks in the east wing of the library’s ground floor – adjacent to the Ainsworth Commons. With the exception of reference tools and rare or fragile items, most federal documents circulate. The earliest fed docs (1786 – 1920) are housed in the Library’s Annex. They are fully cataloged and can be retrieved by Access Services for use in the main library.


Question:

What do these catalog status codes mean?

Answer:

  • On order – an item has been ordered but has not yet arrived
  • Being processed – an item has arrived from the vendor, but is not yet available for checkout
  • In process – an item has been cataloged, but is getting “processed” (barcode, security strip, label)
  • On search – an item is not where it is supposed to be, but we are looking for it
  • Lost – we have looked for an item long enough to know it should likely be replaced
  • In transit – an item is being moved from one location to another

Question:

Does the library ever purchase books requested through Interlibrary Loan?

Answer:

Yes. Please see Patron Initiated Purchase for more details.


Question:

How can I tell if a particular journal, magazine or newspaper is available through one of the full-text databases purchased by the library?

Answer:

You can use the E-Resource Portal to search for or browse e-journals by title or subject.


Question:

Can I print or save articles from the databases?

Answer:

Most of the time yes. Please see our Using Library Databases page.


Question:

How do I choose which databases to search?

Answer:

On the Database pages, descriptions of each database are given. Also see the “Not Sure Where to Start” sidebar on the Database pages.


Question:

What is a “citation”? “Abstract”?

Answer:

A citation provides basic information about a particular source of information. For example, a citation for a journal article would include the article title, article author, journal name, volume number, pages, and date. If you already have a citation, try Citation Linker to quickly determine if we have access to particular item.

An abstract is a brief summary of a journal, article, book, etc.


Question:

What is a database?

Answer:

Please see our Using Databases page.


Question:

What do I do if I am having trouble accessing resources?

Answer:

Please see our Accessing Electronic Resources page.


Question:

How do I access Electronic Resources?

Answer:

Please see our Accessing Electronic Resources Accessing Electronic Resources page.


Question:

Who can access electronic resources?

Answer:

It depends on the resource and your University affiliation. Please see our Accessing Electronic Resources page.


Question:

How can I bring my class to the library for instruction?

You can find out more about requesting instruction from our Request a Class page.


Question:

How can I renew a book?

Answer:

You can do that by going to My Library Account.


Question:

How late is the library open?

Answer:

It depends on the day and session. Please check our Hours page for more information.


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